NCT07324772Recruiting
PREACTIVE: Preconditioning Exercise Intervention to Improve Symptoms and Quality of Life in Comorbid Atrial Fibrillation and HFpEF
PREACTIVE: Preconditioning With REsistance and AerobiC Training to ImproVe Exercise Intolerance and Quality of Life in Comorbid Atrial Fibrillation and HFpEF
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 24 Aug 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) are very common conditions that often occur together and result in worsening symptoms and reduced quality of life (QoL). Limitations being able to participate in activities of daily living is a primary complaint for AF-HFpEF patients, yet effective strategies to address this issue remain limited. While exercise interventions targeting aerobic training (AT) are recommended for patients with AF and HFpEF, unique challenges exist in this patient population who tend to be older. Specifically, many older patients with AF and HFpEF have muscle weakness, sarcopenia and frailty, that can make aerobic-focused exercise difficult and less tolerable. This study proposes that starting with progressive resistance training (PRT) before aerobic exercise may overcome these issues by improving muscle strength, making AT more manageable, and leading to better health outcomes. The goal of this study is to assess whether a sequential exercise program, named 'PREACTIVE' improves how people feel, decrease the amount of symptoms, and their ability to participate in exercise and activities. This study will specifically test a sequenced exercise approach of resistance training followed by aerobic exercise to improve symptoms, and quality of life in AF-HFpEF.
- Status (registry)
- Recruiting
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 30 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 24 Dec 2025
- Start date
- 15 May 2026
- Primary completion date
- 30 Apr 2027
- Lead sponsor
- Northwestern University
- Diseases
- Heart failure, Atrial fibrillation
- NCT number
- NCT07324772
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Planned participants: 30
- From 15 May 2026 to the primary completion date, 30 Apr 2027
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Prior treatment
- End stage renal replacement therapy associated with the need for dialysis
- Planned major surgery, coronary or leg revascularization during the next six months
Other illness
- Valvular heart disease as the primary etiology of heart failure (i.e., severe aortic stenosis or mitral regurgitation),
- New York Heart Association Stage IV
- Recent stroke (\<1 year)
- Evidence or History of Cardiac amyloidosis
- Significant change in cardiac medication or Heart Failure symptoms \< 2 weeks
- Unstable or severe angina not controlled during daily activity by pharmacological therapy or at \<4 METS activity
- Uncontrolled hypertension (defined as systolic blood pressure \>200 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure\>110 mm Hg) with medications
- Uncontrolled diabetes with recent weight loss, diabetic coma, or frequent insulin reactions
- Oxygen dependent Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Active treatment for cancer defined as current radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or cancer recurrence within past 5 years
- Complete dependence confinement to a Wheelchair confinement or requiring a visual impairment or Orthopedic or severe musculoskeletal conditions that would prohibit resistance training or aerobic exercise.
- Physician diagnosed Alzheimer's disease or Dementia or bipolar or psychotic disorder; Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is ≤ 18 (based on participant screening)
Lab values
- Significant anemia (\<10 g/dL Hgb)
Other
- Patients with persistent AF and poor rate control (HR \> 110 at rest)
- Hospitalization or urgent care visit \< 4 weeks
- Hospice care and indication of life expectancy less than 2 years
- High levels of physical functioning based the composite short physical performance battery score of ≥10 (out of 12)
- Participation in a supervised exercise program or already engaging in regular exercise
- Plans to transfer care outside of NU within the study period
- Unable to consent or commit to requires study procedures
- Non-English speaking
Who the study is looking for
- All participants will be age 60 and older, have a primary diagnosis of AF and HFpEF, based on electronic health record review. Patients with persistent AF or Paroxysmal AF are eligible. HFpEF will be defined in accordance to the 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline using a clinical composite score, the H2FPEF score, in conjunction with diagnostic criteria below:
- Ejection fraction ≥ 50%
- E/e' ≥15 by Doppler Echocardiography
- High H2FpEF score (≥5)
- Must be in stable medical condition and able to begin an exercise program
Age in the registry: 60 years to 99 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern University Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Chicago | United States | Recruiting |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.